5-Minute Volcano

The game 5-Minute Volcano is a fast-paced, entertaining introduction to natural disasters. Aotearoa New Zealand sits on the edges of two tectonic plates – the Australian and the Pacific plates. These plates slowly move and push against each other, creating the geographical landscapes we call Aotearoa. While we benefit from the dramatic landscapes, fertile soils, geothermal resources and cultural connections that come from living in the Shaky Isles, we are also exposed to risks from volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis.

5-Minute Volcano board game

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5-Minute Volcano is a fast-paced game in which players work together to use the knowledge and skills of their character roles to survive volcanic hazards, including ashfall, pyroclastic flows of hot gas and tsunamis.

Rights: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato 

Serious gaming to learn about natural disasters

5-Minute Volcano is a collaboration between scientists, educators and game experts. The design team worked with Ngāti Awa and Te Kura o te Pāroa to ensure the game is suitable for students and is culturally connected to Aotearoa.

The game enables learners to identify risks faced by communities that live near volcanoes and how they can manage the hazards this may pose. It also highlights the vital role that ākonga/kura tamariki play during emergencies. Young people, who are often vulnerable during natural disasters, become better informed by playing the game. They can share what they’ve learned with whānau so everyone can be prepared.

While we may have made the game and designed it, the characters, cards and things such as taniwha instead of hazards were all ideas from children and teachers. In other words, the game was created with schools, for schools.

Playing the game

Each game lasts 5 minutes. The goal is for players to work together using their characters’ knowledge to help inform people and manage the volcano and associated taniwha. The game’s quick pace is intentional – there is no turn taking – to encourage a cooperative approach.

Working together to overcome volcanoes and taniwha

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5-Minute Volcano helps to develop teamwork and communication skills as well as encouraging discussions about natural disaster preparedness.

Rights: Beneath the Waves

Players choose a role – for example, volcanologist, journalist or student. Each role has its own strengths and abilities. As a team, they work to overcome challenges presented by people, obstacles and natural disasters. Natural disasters such as a landslide or ash are represented by taniwha.

Because of the 5-minute time limit, the game is quite simple to play. The character and volcano decks primarily use symbols, with limited text. Though the game is designed for students aged 11–12, it can be played from ages 8+ or even younger for the volcano enthusiasts out there!

It also includes several blank cards, which enable schools/players to customise the game with their own volcano, taniwha and obstacles – ideal for supporting local curriculum.

5-Minute Volcano challenge cards

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The game design uses a combination of Māori and western imagery. Use them for practising the science capability ‘Interpret representations’.

Rights: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato

Fostering discussion and deeper learning

Like many educational games, 5-Minute Volcano is an engaging context to promote deeper learning. It offers multiple opportunities for exploring science and social science concepts, local indigenous knowledge and pūrākau and building awareness and resilience.

The short gameplay is optimal as it allows for discussion and reflection between quick bursts of action. Reflection transfers the fun and chaos of meeting the game’s challenges and connects it with learning about real-world situations and solutions.

The design team created a teacher’s guide and student workbook to add additional layers of learning. Each resource was drafted, tested and iterated within classrooms to provide multiple focuses and question types for a range of learners.

An important note to remember … is that the taniwha (natural hazards) are not enemies we are trying to defeat, but forces of nature we must live with and respond to appropriately. When you play 5-Minute Volcano, you must overcome taniwha, clear obstacles and inform people about volcanoes. You don’t defeat them. That way, the [students] can learn that whilst volcanoes can be scary, they are a natural part of our life here in Aotearoa New Zealand, and we need to learn how to be prepared for eruptions and to help our communities become more resilient to such events.

The article Volcanoes resources – planning pathways has pedagogical information – including key science concepts, nature of science and the science capabilities – and wrap-around resources to extend learning. 5-Minute Volcano and the science capabilities provides prompting questions and extension ideas for classroom use.

Class sets for Aotearoa New Zealand schools

Beneath the Waves, a GNS-led and MBIE-funded programme, has a limited number of class sets of 5-Minute Volcano to give away. This tabletop game is manufactured by Wiggles 3D – with the same high-quality standards as their commercial games. 5-Minute Volcano is not available for public sale.

Priority will be given to kura/schools with a cultural or geographic connection to a volcano/volcanic field and Equity Index (EQI) will be considered.

If you are an educator, please complete the form below – and a reminder that this opportunity is only available to New Zealand kura/schools.

Meet the team

The 5-Minute Volcano board game was created by Kieron Wall, a PhD student in human interface technology. Kieron’s work is part of GNS Science’s Beneath the Waves | Raranga Whāriki Papa Moana research programme and the University of Canterbury Human Interface Technology (HIT) Lab under the supervision of Associate Professor Heide Lukosch and Professor Ben Kennedy.

The Hub has collaborated with Ben on other games and activities. Magma Drillers Save Planet Earth uses a team approach to finding environmentally friendly sources of geothermal energy. Magma Pop is a virtual game that helps students learn about Earth’s most common minerals and the processes that happen in a magma chamber. Tsunamis in the sandpit models how volcanic eruptions can generate a tsunami.